Andy Dalton Jersey | Forum

A day removed from the NFL changing its national anthem policy Authentic
Marcus Johansson Jersey , it’s hard to escape the feeling that they
were simply bullied by the President into doing something, whether it actually
made anybody happy or not.

At least they admitted it.

Via Albert Breer of SI.com, there was a clear sense at this week’s owners
meetings that the reaction/taunting by Donald Trump at rallies and online (an
inevitably on his favorite TV show) was a factor. The league’s new policy
requires all players and personnel on the field to stand for the anthem, but it
allows players to stay in the locker room if they choose.

Asked if Trump came up in their discussion, Packers president Mark Murphy
replied with a laugh: 鈥淥h yeah. It was more how [Trump] might react,
anticipating that. Also, how the fans will react, how the media will react.
That鈥檚 what we tried to think through. . . . No matter what we did, [Trump]
would probably try to get involved one way or the other鈥攅ither criticizing us or
taking credit for the change.鈥?/p>

That seems obvious, and this morning’s appearance on FOX News will doubtless
include a victory lap.

One owner said Trump’s name came up three times during the discussion, but
not at length.

鈥淸Trump] certainly initiated some of the thinking, and was a part of the
entire picture,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “But all of that was given
consideration.鈥?/p>

Others cited market pressures, with Colts vice chair Carlie Irsay mentioning
letters the team received from suite holders who said they were more upset with
the league than the team.

鈥淎t the end of the day, we are an entertainment property Zach
Parise Jersey ,” 49ers owner Jed York said. “You tune into football
on Sunday or Monday or Thursday to get away from everything else. And I think
people have had enough of the political fights. I think people do want to get
back to football. But our players also have the ability, and the right to
champion their causes and bring attention to those causes.鈥?/p>

York was the one owner to abstain from the vote, which the league announced
as unanimous.

HOUSTON — There were moments during the recently completed road trip when
Evan Gattis‘ teammates appeared to relish his run-production exploits more than
he did, scenes emblematic of the prevailing fondness for the Houston Astros‘
bearded designated hitter.

Gattis is among the many catalysts for the Astros, who take a 12-game winning
streak into Tuesday’s game with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Astros tied the club record set in 1999 and matched in 2004 when Alex
Bregman delivered the game-winning single in the ninth inning in a 5-4
victory.

Before Bregman’s hit, Gattis was named American League Player of the Week,
earning the honor for the first time in his six-season career.

Gattis hit .417 (10-for-24) with four homers and 15 RBIs for the week, the
latter total representing seven more than any other player in the league.

Gattis has been a house aflame this month, leading the majors with 23 RBIs.
That total leaves him six shy of the club record of 29 set by Jimmy Wynn in 1967
and matched by Jose Cruz in 1984.

On May 19, Gattis was mired in an extended season-opening slump and was
batting .209. He recorded three multi-hit games over his next five starts and
has wielded a hot bat ever since.

“I’m thrilled for Gatty because to know him is to know how much he carries
the burden of being the DH most nights,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “And
he’s very emotional about it. He wants to contribute; he wants to do well. Had a
rough start to the season and going through a few swing changes and a lot of
work behinds the scenes and then he busts out and literally carries us for the
better part of the road trip.

“For him to be rewarded with that recognition nationally is awesome. For the
reaction inside with his teammates and coaches, everybody feels pretty good
about him.”

Right-hander Justin Verlander (9-2, 1.61 ERA) will start for the Astros
(49-25) on Tuesday. He leads the AL in ERA, WHIP (0.76), opponent batting
average (.160) and OPS (.493) while ranking second in innings (100 1/3) and
fourth in strikeouts (120).

He is 8-3 with a 3.29 ERA over 16 career starts against the Rays Andy
Dalton Jersey , failing to record a decision when he allowed two
runs on six hits and five walks with six strikeouts over seven innings in a 5-3
win on June 15, 2017, with Detroit.

Left-hander Blake Snell (8-4, 2.58 ERA) gets the nod for the Rays (33-39). He
is 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA over three career starts against Houston, failing to log
more than five innings in any of those outings. Snell has made two starts at
Minute Maid Park, going 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA.

Snell has yielded two or fewer runs in 12 of 15 starts this season, tied with
Verlander and Yankees right-hander Luis Severino for the most such starts in the
AL. That total includes eight starts surrendering one run or fewer, the
second-best mark in the AL behind Verlander (nine).

The Rays’ pitcher usage remains a topic of conversation throughout the
majors, with the collapse by Romo only fueling those with dissenting opinions on
the strategy of employing multiple bullpen days per week. Six pitchers preceded
Romo on Monday, with right-hander Matt Andriese producing the longest outing of
2 2/3 innings in Tampa Bay’s 10th loss in its last 11 road games.

“This is a tough one, no doubt,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We sold out
to win a ballgame. We got aggressive with the moves; they got aggressive on
their side with the pinch hitting. It all basically worked in our favor until
the last inning. Leadoff walk, a couple tough pitches, a couple odd things took
place and then Bregman comes up and gets a big hit.”